§ 1. Mrs. L. Jegerasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance what is now the total number of widowed mothers with dependent children, the number of them receiving pensions and allowances as war widows, the number of them receiving pensions and allowances under the Industrial Injuries Act, and the number entitled to receive widowed mother's allowances under the National Insurance Act.
§ The Minister of Pensions and National Insurance (Mr. John Boyd-Carpenter)About 16,000 widowed mothers with dependent children receive pensions and allowances as war widows; some 6,000 receive pensions and allowances under the Industrial Injuries Act; and about 618 115,000 receive widowed mother's allowances under the National Insurance Act. The total number of such widows is not known, but it is not thought that there are many who are not eligible for one or other of these pensions or allowances.
§ 2. Mrs. L. Jegerasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many widowed mothers will suffer a reduction in their allowance when the £4 earnings limit takes effect; and how many will have the allowance extinguished altogether.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterNone, Sir. The effect of the new earnings rule will, on the contrary, be to reduce by about 5,000 the number of widowed mothers whose allowances are not payable in full because of their earnings.
§ Mrs. JegerIs the Minister not able to tell us how many widowed mothers will have the allowance extinguished altogether when he raises the earnings limit?
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterPerhaps the hon. Lady will put that Question on the Order Paper.
§ Mrs. JegerI was repeating almost exactly the words of my Question.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterThe hon. Lady asked
how many widowed mothers will suffer a reduction in their allowance when the £4 earnings limit takes effect…".That is the question which I have answered.
§ Miss HerbisonThe last words of the Question are quite specific:
and how many will have the allowance extinguished altogether.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterI apologise to the hon. Lady the Member for Holborn and St. Pancras, South (Mrs. L. Jeger) if I have misunderstood the Question, but I understood it to ask what would be the effect of the step, which the House has approved, of raising the earnings limit, and that is what I have tried to answer.
§ Mrs. JegerWhilst not accepting that that Question has been answered, may I ask Question No. 3?
§ 3. Mrs. L. Jegerasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance how many widowed mothers with dependent 619 children are receiving less than the standard rates of benefit because of deficiencies in their late husband's contribution record.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterAbout 7,000. This applies, however, only to the widow's own personal part of the allowance. The part for the children is in all cases paid in full.
§ Mrs. JegerIn view of the fact that the Chancellor has been able to be so generous to certain sections of the community, could not the Minister's right hon. Friend see whether there is not some way in which he could help these women, who are among the very poorest in our community?
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterThat raises wide questions, but this particular matter to which the hon. Lady refers is part of the Insurance Scheme, and I think that it has always been understood that in any insurance scheme a deficiency in contribution must be reflected by a reduction in benefit.
§ Mrs. JegerSurely, there has been no fault in contribution on the part of the widow. Does it not seem a hardship that she should be penalised for the errors of her husband's ways?
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterThe hon. Lady will be aware that widows' benefits are carried on men's contributions generally.
§ 6. Mr. Hector Hughesasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance if he is aware that the present provisions of the National Insurance Scheme relating to widows under 50 years of age are too rigid and, for this reason, inflict hardship on some widows who do not fall within the three classes who, after the widows' temporary allowance for the first 13 weeks of widowhood, are denied widows' pensions; and if he will take steps to introduce elasticity which will provide for the hard cases of widows under 50 years of age who are unable to support themselves.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterI would remind the hon. and learned Member that as a result of the provisions of Section 2 (6) of the Family Allowance and National Insurance Act, 1956, there are now arrangements under which widows who fail to qualify for a widow's pension are given full and immediate rights to sickness or unemployment benefit if they are 620 unable to support themselves because of illness, or cannot get work.
§ Mr. HughesWhilst thanking the Minister for that answer, will he see that the scheme is applied with such elasticity as I have indicated in the Question that all needy widows will benefit and that none will be excluded?
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterThe hon. and learned Gentleman may recall that the National Insurance Advisory Committee, prior to the improvements to which I referred in my main answer, gave exhaustive and detailed study to the position of widows. If he will study that report, and the action taken subsequently, I think he will find that we have done a great deal to improve the position of women who find themselves in this unfortunate state.
§ 8. Mr. Chetwyndasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance whether he will make a statement on the position of the latest increases of pensions to war widows in relation to assessment for National Assistance grants.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterI have been informed by the National Assistance Board that the practice in future in determining need will be to disregard the first 10s. 6d. of the amount by which a war widow's pension exceeds the standard National Insurance widow's pension. One consequence of this decision will be that where a war widow over 70 is receiving assistance she will be able to receive the new 10s. allowance without reduction in her assistance.
§ Mr. ChetwyndCan the right hon. Gentleman say from what time that concession will start?
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterAs I understand, it will operate at the same time as the new allowance, namely, early in June.
§ 9 and 10. Mr. Spriggsasked the Minister of Pensions and National Insurance (1) if he will now reconsider the pensions of widows and widowed mothers, in view of the changed economic position of the country;
(2) if he will now recommend an immediate increase of pensions for retired workers in view of the changed economic position of the country.
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterI have no proposal to make on these matters at the present time.
§ Mr. SpriggsIs the Minister not aware of the hardship suffered by most widows as a result of the pensions now being paid? Will he, with his colleagues, examine the pernicious system of deducting the part or whole of the pension where a widow goes out to work? Is he prepared to amend the regulations to encourage widows to go out to work?
§ Mr. Boyd-CarpenterAs the hon. Gentleman may recall, I have just amended the regulations to ease the earnings rules. That will come into operation today week. As regards the first part of his supplementary question, there has been an improvement in the provision for widowed mothers quite out of proportion to the general improvements in the National Insurance Scheme. The increase since October, 1951, in real values has been about 55 per cent. in the case of a widowed mother with three children.